Salt intake linked to British socio-economic status

People with low socio-economic status in Britain are more likely to have a high level of salt in their diets than the more well off, regardless of location, according to a new paper.

Research led by the Warwick Medical School, printed in the BMJ Open journal, indicates that geography plays less of a role in habitual dietary salt intake than people's prosperity and educational levels.

Using the British National Diet and Nutrition Survey, they assessed a representative sample of 2,105 men and women, recording salt intake alongside their educational attainments and occupations, which are key indicators of socio-economic status.

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Salt consumption was measured through a seven-day dietary record and regular urine collections, which were tested for sodium determination, a direct marker of salt intake.

The study was led by Professor Francesco Cappuccio, senior author and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Nutrition, based in the medical school's Division of Mental Health & Wellbeing at the University of Warwick.

He said: 'These results are important as they explain in part why people of low socio-economic background are more likely to develop high blood pressure (hypertension) and to suffer disproportionately from strokes, heart attacks and renal failure.'

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